This Won't Hurt A Bit. No, Seriously.

Planning To Take Cynical Advantage ...... erm ... sorry, what we meant to say was ...
Planning to be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, state Auditor General Jack Wagner says he's going to conduct a special performance of audit of the gold-plated Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, the Associated Press reports this morning.The audit will focus on PHEAA's performance on improving access to higher education for state residents, "including but not limited to an
evaluation of the state grant program and an evaluation of
compensation, benefits and expenses," Wagner's office said in a statement suggesting that PHEAA executives might want to plan to do something more fun, like, say, finally having that long-delayed colonoscopy, on the day that auditors arrive.The audit will stretch back as far as July 2004, Wagner's office said in a letter to the tragically named PHEAA boss Dick Willey. The audit, the first of the agency, is expected to take months to complete, the AP reported.Willey, meanwhile, laughed in the face of danger, and said PHEAA's audited more than 40 times a year, and will cooperate with Wagner's probe as he looks for a soft place to sit.More than 40 times a year, and no one batted an eye at the Lear jets, Mr. Willey?You might want to look into getting a refund.The rest of today's news starts after the jump.

One Step Closer To A Treasurer.The Senate Finance Committee has recommended state Treasurer-designee Robin
Wiessmann for confirmation by the full Senate, our friends at Capitolwire report this morning.Wiessmann, the wife of Gov. Ed's top fund-raiser Kenneth Jarin, was praised by several senators, including Sens. Pat Vance, R-Cumberland, and Jane Earll, R-Erie, as being "very qualified" because of her background as an attorney, investment banker and manager, Capitolwire reported.Finance Committee Chairman Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, did not say when the full Senate would vote on Wiessmann's appointment, but the way this thing's been dragging out, it might actually happen before ex-Treasurer Bob Casey's term expires.This Just In ...... state legislators aren't too psyched about Gov. Ed's plan to boost the sales tax as a way of
delivering a teensy-weensy-tiny little bit of extra property tax relief to Pennsylvania homeowners.Why?If lawmakers are gonna bite a tax bullet this year, it'd better be because 100 percent of any sales tax hike is going to property tax breaks. And right now, Rendell's plan only calls for a third of the hike this year going to tax breaks, with the rest being used to balance the budget. In the out-years, there's a 50-50 split between tax breaks and other spending."Of the 25 or 30 House Democrats I
have chatted with in recent weeks, they all desire that 100 percent of
any sales-tax levy would go 100 percent for property-tax reduction,
unlike the governor’s proposal which would use 50 percent of the
revenues for property-tax reduction," House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, told Capitolwire today. "If there is support for [Rendell's] concept, I certainly have not heard it voice in the caucus and the House floor."DeWeese then went on to use several big words. But we stopped paying attention.

The Senate Republican Policy Committee ...... meets today to begin gathering information on whether privatizing all or a part of the state store system is a good idea. Committee Chairman Jake Corman, R-Centre, told us yesterday he has no inclination one way or the other right now, but generally thinks public/private partnerships are a good idea.We have to admit, we'll be a little bit sad if they end up selling off the state stores. Apart from photographs, you just can't find that East Germany, c.1961 vibe anywhere else anymore.

The State Supreme Court ...... has been asked to weigh in on the Philly mayoral candidacy of Bob "Paperwork" Brady.
After losing rounds in county and Commonwealth Court, challengers, including supporters loyal to gajillionaire business-guy Tom Knox, filed the paperwork Tuesday asking the high court to examine whether Brady should be tossed off the ballot for failing to reveal pension payments on his financial disclosure forms.We're now taking bets on what'll happen first: a decision in this case or the actual primary.

The First Campaign With A Money-Back Guarantee.U.S. Rep. (and Philly Mayoral candidate) Chaka Fattahhas agreed to transfer $36,766 from
his mayoral committee to his exploratory committee and then refund that money to his donors, the Inky reports this morning.The first-of-its-kind settlement with the Philly Board of Ethics (stop snickering. We didn't know they had one either.) was approved yesterday. And it also requires Fattah's exploratory committee to refund $20,000 to a contributor whose money shouldn't have been accepted in the first place.So what happened?The explanation is kind of convoluted, but the short form is that Fattah used his exploratory committee to pay expenses that should have been picked up by his campaign committee, the Inky reported.

Proving He Wants To Be Governor So Badly ...... that it gives him a bad case of the bed spins, Lehigh County Executive (and sometime
rock star) Don "Daaahhhnnnn" Cunningham holds a noon news conference today announcing his plan to give a full county property tax rebate to any county resident now serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Many of those serving to support our military efforts are reservists who have had to put their lives on hold," Cunningham said. "The families left behind struggle to keep everything in order while their loved ones are making a dangerous sacrifice to serve their country."Political motivations aside, this one sounds like a good idea. Now if we could only do something about the Springsteen covers ...

Amateurs.The Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police says the SUV carrying Gov. Jon S. Corzinewas traveling about 91 MPH before it crashed last week, the AP reports.Only 91 MPH?Pikers.Gov. Ed goes that fast leaving the driveway in the morning.

Quotable:"You can only die once in real life. In the world of politics, you
can die a thousand deaths... and each one is more terrible and more painful than
the previous one."In a rare moment of lucidity, Bernie Kieklak, chief-of-staff to Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, offers up a valuable chestnut.A Belated Happy Birthday ...... to frequent Capitol Ideas reader David La Torre who turned 30-xxxxxxx yesterday. Sorry we missed it, Dave. May the portrait in your attic continue to age, while you stay unnaturally youthful.EdWatch (TM):Apparently finding himself on the losing end of a bet, Gov. Ed must
sojourn to Erie today. At 12:30 p.m., he'll be bothering drifter and college kid alike as he discusses his "Prescription for Pennsylvania" healthcare reform plan at the city's "Intermodal Transportation Center."Which sure sounds like a bus station to us.

In The Blogosphere:Keystone Politics on Gov. Ed's stern warning yesterday to the Philly schools; GrassrootsPA reminds to us ask why anyone listens to Bob Novak anymore; Above Average Jane has the traveling hearing schedule for the Speaker's Commission on Legislative Reform; Young Philly Politics has some poll results from the Philly mayor's race, and yes, even with 9,000 people on the ballot, one candidate can take more than 30 percent; PhillyFuture goes to a city council forum; Tony Phyrillas shares some reader mail, reveals he, too, has dittoheads; Bernie O'Hare on today's Dahhnnnnn Cunningham press conference; Perry Christopher recovers from a bout of logorrhea; PSoTD on some stuff you might have missed; Suburban Guerrilla also gives double-dittos; Pennsyltucky Politics makes up for lost time; PAWatercooler on the local price paid in the Virgina Tech shootings; LV Poli-Blog on why the V-Tech shootings shouldn't be used as a platform for gun control; Daily Kos has some political news from Vermont; Red State on what happens when the wheels fall off; Wonkette has your daily briefing; DCist has our Picture of the Day (TM), and you should really take a look; Andrew Sullivan has a new favorite band; Powerline on a "convenient fiction"; Politics1 goes around the horn; Stu Rothenberg on another day of bad news for the Bushies; Hotline on how Hillary might not have a death-grip on the Democratic nom after all, and Bob Cesca says it's not about the guns.

On The Capitol Ideas iPod This Morning:Returning us to our heady days in graduate school, we're listening to the 1997 sophomore release from Ben Folds Five, "Whatever and Ever Amen." Geeky? Sure. But no one rocks a piano like Folds. Here's a live clip for the one tune from that record that everyone knows, "Brick."

Wednesday's Gratuitous Hockey Link.After swearing we wouldn't watch the NHL play-offs this year as a way to protest the dismal, regular-season performance of our beloved Carolina Hurricanes, the hockey junkie in us took over last night, and we tuned in to catch a western conference match-up between the Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings. In deference to Mrs. Capitol Ideas, who lists the Flames second on her list of favorite teams, we rooted for Calgary. Despite that, the Flames managed to wring out a 3-2 victory. However, the 'Wings still hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

I really like the lines by Cunningham-
"The families left behind struggle to keep everything in order while their loved ones are making a dangerous sacrifice to serve their country." Thanks for sharing.